The Hajolat
The Hajolat are a group of desert-dwellers that follow in a nomadic society. They consist of a few clans situated in places scattered around the desert, but follow under a unified leader. They're a smaller faction that has existence throughout the centuries in the forms of these various clans, but they haven't changed, much. ''Lore'' The Hajolat trace their roots back to the Fall of Dormia, being one of the first warbands to rise up against the city and join in the sacking. However, many of those that went off reaving and raiding were never to return, accounting for a loss of nearly the entire tribe’s male population. Those who survived weren’t left with much choice but to migrate North to the Central plains, where they maintained an uneasy peace and co-existed with the survivors of Dormia’s decimation. But as time passed and a king was chosen to rule the lands of the Central Kingdom, the people of the Hajolat were confronted with quite a blunt choice: become serfs, or be exiled. The Hajolat chose the latter, refusing to give up their freedom and way of life; they were unwilling to farm the lands of the kingdom as it went against their system of worship of the Earth Spirits that forbade the breaking of the ground for agriculture. Thus, they migrated further South, setting up communities of hunter-gatherers along the plains that hugged the edges of the newly created Trepheon desert. The Central Kingdom did not take this lightly, and saw the Hajolat as outlaws that refused to bend the knee to Centralian authority, King Harrion himself, lead an expedition to the plains and destroyed the Hajolat towns. The survivors were forced to flee deep into the deserts where they couldn’t be pursued. They adopted a nomadic lifestyle from that point onward, scavenging the ancient ruins of Dormia for anything of value and selling them to passing merchants as well as domesticating the horses that roamed the Southern plains, which they either sold or kept for themselves. They also attempted to maintain the warrior tradition of their ancestors as a means of retaining a cultural identity and ensure the survival of their people, emphasizing mounted combat and archery. The Hajolat also opened themselves to outsiders with rebellious serfs, who were disillusioned by the feudal societies the kingdoms maintained and joined their ranks to seek lives as free men. This status quo was maintained with the Centralians unwilling to send armies deep into the desert and the Hajolat unwilling to go to war with their sparse population and equipment. When the Central succession crisis happened, the Hajolat viewed it with nothing more than idle interest, but they themselves were shocked as news arrived that Conwyn Hollister: illegitimate brother of the late king and claimant to his throne approached a Hajolat horse merchant, asking to send word to his people that he sought their support in cementing his claim and in exchange would be considered friends of Central and guaranteed that their way of life would be respected. And thus, as Conwyn Hollister formally claimed the throne and was coronated, he was accompanied by a host of brutish warriors; rugged from their days hunting and living under the desert sun, dressed in the ceremonial garb of their ancestors mounted on steeds that rivaled those of the knights of Central themselves. Following this, the Hajolat became known as allies of Conwyn Farlon’s Central kingdom, enforcing the king’s will and laws in the far-flung corners of the realm that the army could not be tasked with maintaining regular patrols over. Through this alliance, the Hajolat were tasked with creating a proxy war against the nearby Eastern Kingdom of Shijon. In the ensuing months, some guerilla tactics were used on the edge of the kingdom in order to agitate their order, such as attempts to poison the water supply and burning crops. With tensions being tough against the desert raiders, the Easterners tried to set traps and plan attacks on the Hajolat, or at least strengthen defenses along the edge of their territory. The Hajolat nonetheless proved to be troublesome with their well-bred horses and short, unexpected raids. On one fateful day, the Hajolat raided the Eastern Kingdom outside its walls. This time, however, the Easterners were prepared and managed to not only combat the Hajolat raiders, but drive them back in the desert with losses that could not be ignored. This was the end of the Hajolat raids for the Easterners, and they rejoiced in the ensuing months. With the clan leader of the Hajolat becoming deceased, a new leader became elected, as the heir to the Hajolat went on a spiritual journey. Marie Vara, who was a khablisk - an elite guard - was made Halakemik, the leader of the Hajolat. In the ensuing times, there would come to be many events that changed Trepheon's status quo, with some having a huge effect or minimal effect on the Hajolat, themselves. When the Black Knights came and sieged Centralia, the population of guards, citizens, and even some nobles were displaced. While they spread through various areas, the Hajolat temporarily housed some refugees in their camp until trouble arose with the migrants. Shortly after, they all left to one of the other villages far from the Kingdom of Centralia before the entire situation was dealt with. During the crisis of Conwyn going mad, himself, the Hajolat made one last appearance within the keep's walls. They spoke with Queen Clara, as aides, but the timing could not be worse. At the time, a Western general barged into the throne room, demanding the king. Conwyn could not be bothered at the time, which resulted in the Queen being the only royal present and at the mercy of the fearsome Western general and his top guards. Making haste to escape, they followed the Queen's orders before she was later taken prisoner; they had taken the Central princess and escape the castle town as quick as they could, hiding her within their encampments in the desert for a short time. Of course, they knew that they could not harbor her alone, for long. Surprisingly, however, they had gotten word from the Empress of the Eastern Kingdom; to form an alliance. It was a shock to most people on both sides, as the former enemies becoming allies didn't seem necessary. Most would've kept their grudges and allowed the Hajolat to go back into hiding among the desert while Centralia faced its crisis. However, even with the Hajolat going through uncertainty, forming an unlikely ally in order to benefit both parties and survive seemed to be in the best interest of Marie Vara. Days later, they had arrived at the Eastern gates, with some waiting outside as the leaders held an audience with the Empress. With the alliance forged and finalized, the East agreed not to attack the Hajolat anymore and invite them to their territory. There were no plans to form any more proxy wars to use the Hajolat, but to strengthen both armies with their combined might if needed. Furthermore, the Hajolat were asked to breed and provide some of their fine horses to the Eastern military in exchange for Eastern support to the Hajolat in their troubled times. Vara also took this opportunity to ask that the East harbor the Central princess, having her stay safely with Ariana. Currently, the Hajolat continue to live among the desert camps and live in their simple, humbled lifestyles as hunter-gatherers, again. Only time will tell if they are brought to doing anything else of importance. Economy They are strongly built on bartering and trading with the East and Middenham, however they may trade with other villages or people from time to time. They usually trade horses, as that is their main supply of income. Most of the time, however, some Hajolat may have a variety of different skills and tools that will benefit their trade as merchants. Inside how they trade and buy inside their own tribe is not much different from how they will treat customers and barterers, except they usually share all supplies that they have gathered with one another as a tribe. Military The Hajolat have guardsmen that will usually escort and protect merchants when travelling into a city. There are mostly 4 distinct ranks for the Hajolat military and all have similar/varying purpose. Footsoldier: A rarity in the Hajolat forces, mostly seen in members of the tribe who don’t know how to ride horses, they often have to provide their own armor and weapons and their roles in combat vary wildly; often only being used as auxiliaries. Rider: Armed with a bow and a saber, these young horsemen make up the backbone of Hajolat forces. Usually seen in either light armor or whatever the individual can afford. Veteran Rider(+): Having a quite few more years under their belt than your standard rider, these riders are expected to perform quite better than their more inexperienced counterparts and as such are usually seen in possession of heavier armor; often gifts from a Kemik in recognition of the warrior’s skill in battle. These men are also expected to provide for the weak or vulnerable of the tribe who cannot otherwise provide for themselves. Khablisk(+): Handpicked by Kemiks they often serve as their bodyguards and officers, and when not seen by the sides of their Kemik they are often seen solving small disputes among the tribe and leading other warriors. Those are the four ranks most basic for the military or military use. It should be noted however that a merchant or simply nomad could also be conscribed in militaristic battles if needed. Culture The Hajolat are a nomadic tribe, and do not want to be held down by any means. For the most part, they will accept all races and religion(s). Besides that they usually will go from place to place sharing their nomadic culture freely with anyone who wishes to learn or become a part of it. As some of the Hajolat are fleeing men from society to pursue either a nomadic life or escape crime, most of them have picked up various skills over time, and some may be criminals or escaped convicts. The Hajolat are a collection of a few tribes, among them being: 'Tesheq Bouran -' A relatively new clan by Hajolat standards, it was originally founded 30 years ago as Tesheq Urgaat. The clan was handed down to Hawat Borghan, a Khablisk to the late Kemik Oyuunseg. Borghan then renamed the clan once he inherited it. Ever since he has died, a new leader has ascended and shifted focus over the year that Hawat had led it. He had initially allied with the Kingdom of Central and waged war against the East, but after the failure of a larger-scaled battle and the collapse of Centralia, they have know changed leadership and focus to ally with the Easterners. 'Tesheq Ajamagh -' Few clans are as respected and venerated as the Ajamagh, descended from the first Hajolat that helped raze Dormia the clan has earned itself the nickname of "the Scourge of Dormia". The Ajamagh, now lead by Kemik Ajamagh Ir Bator-Abdul, reside proudly in the ruins of the fallen city however in recent times they've turned away from their violent past; largely casting the sword away in favor of the quill. They now protect the ruins of what their ancestors once pillaged, holding onto ancient runes and other artifacts. The Scourge of Dormia; renowned for their storytellers and history-keepers are the ideal image of what the Hajolat should aspire to in the eyes of the peace lovers and scholars. 'Ahaggar Kevlah -' Under the guidance of the respected Ohmed Giray, the Kevlah tribe have reinvented themselves, from feared raiders and warriors setting fire to villages and riding off with women, loot, and wealth they have since become the 'brains' of the Hajolat, with the tribe harboring mancers and scholars at their home in the Southern plains. Some of the more traditionalist Hajolat resent this tribe for their integration of scholars and contact with the Detarians. The tribe also has the highest proportion of light skinned Hajolat, with many being descendants of the Centralian and Western scholars the Kemik had invited in the past years. Language The Hajolat, due to not being native Dormians used to speak their own language they created known as "Hajoin". This was due to the obvious fact they needed some sort of method of translation. They later adapted to learn Native Dormian, also known as Commoner, after needing to trade and be diplomats with the "Civilized" world. Category:Factions